Warning on Bombs Issued After 2 Blasts

After two unrelated bomb explosions in Huntington Beach and Anaheim, authorities on Saturday cautioned that making explosive devices is a serious--and dangerous--offense.

“It’s a very serious felony,” Huntington Beach Lt. Tony Sollecito said. “It’s very dangerous for someone who might have contact with it and for the person who’s making it.”

One person was injured in the Anaheim incident.

The first explosion took place in Huntington Beach on Friday at 4 p.m. at Burke Park, in the 9700 block of Levee Drive, Sollecito said.

Kelly Johnson, 61, was jogging through the park when he saw three ice bombs--made of dry ice and water--in the middle of the athletic field. Curious, he came closer and tossed one of the containers out of the way and it exploded. No one was injured, police said.

Police officers and firefighters sealed off the park while the Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad neutralized the remaining two devices.

“[The park] is a place where people walk their dogs. A kid could have picked this up,” Sollecito said.

Hours later, at 1 a.m. Saturday, Anaheim resident Steven L. Anderson, 36, was injured while apparently making a pipe bomb in his garage in the 1300 block of Fremont Avenue, Anaheim Police Sgt. Bill Jefferson said.

Firefighters arrived at the house and found Anderson had been struck in the left abdomen by shrapnel when a large fireworks device he was making went off, he said.

Anderson was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center where he was treated and booked on suspicion of detonating a destructive device.

“His injury does not seem life-threatening,” Jefferson said.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he did not hear any explosive sounds early Saturday. He said he was surprised to hear of Anderson’s arrest.

“This is a quiet street. There’s usually no trouble around here,” the neighbor said.